Two days later, at the Shen Family Manor in the west of the city.

The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, and the pink and white lotus flowers stand tall and graceful. A gentle breeze carries their subtle fragrance. The waterside pavilion is built over the lake, with its windows wide open on all four sides and bamboo curtains hanging down. The lake breeze flows through the pavilion, carrying the fragrance of lotus and the moisture of water, dispelling the heat of midsummer.

An'an, dressed in a small lotus-picking dress and a little hat woven from lotus leaves, was held tightly in Xiao Chengjing's arms as they sat in a small, black-awning boat. Xiao Chengjing held his daughter with one hand while clumsily poled the boat through the lotus leaves with the other, making it wobble and weave. Shen Yuewei sat at the stern, watching the father and daughter, one nervous and the other excitedly shouting, her eyes crinkling with laughter, occasionally pointing out the plumpest lotus pods.

“Daddy! Over there! It’s big over there!” An’an pointed into the distance.

"Alright, Daddy will take An'an!" Xiao Chengjing immediately adjusted the direction, but the small boat suddenly rocked, scaring An'an so much that she cried out and clung tightly to her father's neck. Xiao Chengjing quickly steadied the boat and comforted his daughter, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Daddy's here!" He turned to look at Shen Yuewei, his eyes filled with a hint of lingering fear and a desire for praise, "Weiqing, you see, An'an still trusts Daddy the most."

Shen Yuewei smiled and shook her head, picking up a newly picked twin lotus flower and waving it at him. Xiao Chengjing's gaze was instantly drawn to her beautiful smile and the delicate lotus flower, and for a moment he forgot to row the boat.

Inside the waterside pavilion, the two elders of the Shen family watched the small boats frolicking on the lake, their smiles beaming. Lin Qingwan was using small silver scissors to trim the nails of the twins who were playing with a cloth tiger on a bamboo mat. Shen Wenbai, meanwhile, was attentively fanning himself and occasionally offering them peeled lotus seeds.

“Qingwan, look at Chengjing,” Mother Shen said to Lin Qingwan with a smile, “Where is even a trace of the dignity he had in the capital? He’s more like a big kid who just got a treasure.”

After Lin Qingwan finished trimming the last nail, she put down the scissors, picked up a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from her husband's forehead. She smiled and said, "That's right! Yuewei has completely tamed him. Mother, look, in this sweltering heat, Second Brother is fanning me, but he's sweating all over himself." Her tone was reproachful, but her eyes were filled with undisguised sweetness.

Shen Wenbai chuckled and leaned closer to his wife, whispering, "Serving my wife is something I'd gladly do even if it meant sweating buckets."

At this moment, the head steward respectfully led a person to the outer corridor of the waterside pavilion. The person was dressed in the attire of a palace eunuch, and looked travel-worn, clearly having arrived at breakneck speed.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, urgent news from the capital." The eunuch knelt down and presented a sealed sandalwood box with both hands.

The playful atmosphere on the lake froze instantly. Xiao Chengjing frowned slightly, handed the bamboo pole to the boatman, and carried An'an ashore. Shen Yuewei also came ashore and walked to his side.

Xiao Chengjing opened the wooden box, took out the secret letter inside, and quickly glanced at it. Shen Yuewei noticed that his fingers holding the letter tightened slightly, and the relaxed ease on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by a deep understanding tinged with complex emotions.

"What is it?" Shen Yuewei asked softly, a premonition creeping into her heart.

Xiao Chengjing handed her the letter, his voice low and deep, carrying a hint of tension that was almost imperceptible, yet also a calm that seemed to have settled everything:

"Father and Mother... no, the Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager," he corrected the address, his gaze turning northward as if piercing through thousands of mountains and rivers, "the imperial carriage will... tour the south of Jiangnan this autumn. The exact date has not yet been set."

The gentle breeze over the lotus pond still carried its fragrance, fluttering the clothes of everyone present. Inside the waterside pavilion, the two elders of the Shen family, Lin Qingwan, and Shen Wenbai all stopped what they were doing, their gazes fixed on Xiao Chengjing and Shen Yuewei. An'an seemed to sense the change in atmosphere as well, quietly nestled in her father's arms.

Shen Yuewei clutched the secret letter, her fingertips growing cold. What was bound to happen had finally arrived. She looked at Xiao Chengjing, who returned her gaze, his eyes deep and resolute, silently conveying strength—no matter the storm, he would be there.

In the lotus pond, a pair of lotus flowers sway gently in the wind, their pink and white petals clinging tightly together.